observation

1[uncountable,countable]the act of watching someone or something carefully for a period of time, especially to learn somethingMost information was collected by direct observation of the animals' behavior.results based on scientific observationsWe managed to escape observation (= we were not seen).The patient is being kept under observation(= watched closely by the doctors).She has outstanding powers of observation(= the ability to notice things around her).an observation post/tower(= a place from where someone, especially an enemy, can be watched)Topic CollocationsScientific Researchtheoryformulate/advance a theory/hypothesisbuild/construct/create/develop a simple/theoretical/mathematical modeldevelop/establish/provide/use a theoretical/conceptual framework/an algorithmadvance/argue/develop the thesis that…explore an idea/a concept/a hypothesismake a prediction/an inferencebase a prediction/your calculations on somethinginvestigate/evaluate/accept/challenge/reject a theory/hypothesis/modelexperimentdesign an experiment/a questionnaire/a study/a testdo research/an experiment/an analysismake observations/calculationstake/record measurementscarry out/conduct/perform an experiment/a test/a longitudinal study/observations/clinical trialsrun an experiment/a simulation/clinical trialsrepeat an experiment/a test/an analysisreplicate a study/the results/the findingsobserve/study/examine/investigate/assess a pattern/a process/a behaviorfund/support the research/project/studyseek/provide/get/secure funding for researchresultscollect/gather/extract data/informationyield data/evidence/similar findings/the same resultsanalyze/examine the data/soil samples/a specimenconsider/compare/interpret the results/findingsfit the data/modelconfirm/support/verify a prediction/a hypothesis/the results/the findingsprove a conjecture/hypothesis/theoremdraw/make/reach the same conclusionsread/review the records/literaturedescribe/report an experiment/a studypresent/publish/summarize the results/findingspresent/publish/read/review/cite a paper in a scientific journal

2[countable]observation (about/on something)a comment, especially based on something you have seen, heard, or readsynonymremarkHe began by making a few general observations about the report.She has some interesting observations on possible future developments.